


Miserere Mei

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Series: #666foryou [241]
Category: Damien (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Latin, Post-Series, Religious Conflict, Religious Fanaticism, Religious Imagery & Symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 12:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7802515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A surge of pride courses through her veins at that thought, that she alone of all of them has been Chosen to do God's work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miserere Mei

**Author's Note:**

> Date Written: 17 August 2016  
> Word Count: 577  
> Prompt: see quote at the beginning of the fic  
> Summary: A surge of pride courses through her veins at that thought, that she alone of all of them has been Chosen to do God's work.  
> Spoilers: Post-series, taking place a few hours after the events of episode 01x10 "Ave Satani." Beyond that, everything we learned in these 10 episodes is up for grabs.  
> Warnings: No standard warnings apply.  
> Series: #666foryou  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo  
> Link to: http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/  
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions & AO3 only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…  
> Feedback: Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Damien," "The Omen," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Glen Mazzara, David Seltzer, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox 21, and A&E Television Networks. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Damien," "The Omen," A&E, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: I feel really, really proud of this story. It's probably one of the most canon-styled pieces I've written in this whole project, and partially flows off of the confrontation between Sr. Greta and Ann in episode 01x10 "Ave Satani," particularly Sr. Greta's clearly fanatical devotion to what she believes is God's work and her inability to see her own fallibility and hubris until it's too late. The title and final sentence came from [ this page](http://latindiscussion.com/forum/latin/forgive-me-father-for-i-have-sinned.14633/) on the Latin Discussion forum. The final line is translated as "O Lord, be merciful to me, heal my soul, because I have sinned against you." The title, therefore, means "Be merciful to me." I basically wanted to riff of the Sacrament of Confession.
> 
> Dedication: This is part of a series of stories to thank the phenomenal creative team of _Damien_ , both in front of and behind the camera.
> 
> Beta: theonlyspl

"In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."  
\-- Matthew 23:28, NIV

 

She claws her way up out of the dirt, fighting with every labored breath to keep from choking and dying until the sharp, cold air brushes across her face. Tears fill her eyes, but she can't be sure if that's from the dirt caking them shut or sheer gratitude at being alive. She pauses for a moment to fill her lungs with something other than the soil that had buried her. Her body wants to stop, to sleep, but she knows she isn't in the clear yet. More energy is expended in the struggle than she likely has left in her, but adrenalin and faith can be a potent combination for motivation.

Hauling herself up from what feels like the very mouth of Hell, Greta crawls until she's surrounded by grass and, in one clumsily fluid movement flips onto her back. It's still dark out, but she can just make out a few stars twinkling through the trees and the scudding clouds. Tears slip down her cheeks as she closes her eyes, sobs wracking her exhausted body until she has to roll over to vomit up what little is in her stomach. The tears come harder as she gags and retches long after even bile will come up, pain from her wound. Once again, she rolls over clumsily to lie supine on the grass. Belatedly she realizes her left hand stretches out across the dark earth of her recent entombment.

She shifts to her side, hissing in pain as too much pressure is put on that still open wound, then follows through to stretch out prostrate, right hand now further atop the grave. Forehead pressed against the ground, she focuses on the pain of a rock digging into her skin, letting it take precedence over the worse wound. A handful of slow, deep breaths help to slow her racing heartbeat before she begins to pray the rosary. She slips unconsciously between English, German, and Latin as she recites the prayers, mind slowly recovering from some of the shock of the past couple of days.

Her thoughts stray to Amani and her fellow nuns. Her eyes ache from trying to produce more tears to shed for the four young women whose only sin was in following her example. They didn't deserve their fates, but hopefully they are with Holy Father. Clearly she was saved to continue His work in the war against Satan and the Antichrist. A surge of pride courses through her veins at that thought, that she alone of all of them has been Chosen to do God's work.

The death of Thorn's friend gives her pause. She remembers telling him that she didn't blame him or hold him responsible for doing as Lyons demanded. That wasn't entirely true. A part of her wished then, and still does now, that he'd put up more of a resistance against the man. Looking back, she is sure that Lyons was going to kill Amani anyway; his continued presence would be a distraction to the Beast. Perhaps he was an agent of Satan already, and that's why God left him for dead, but saved her. As soon as the thought registers, she begins to regret it for the sin that it is.

" _Domine, miserere mei, sana animam meam quoniam peccavi tibi._ "


End file.
